Random musings of an empty-nesting mother of six, grandmother of six handsome boys,including three-year old twins, and four charming young ladies -- with surprises due in the spring -- who hasn't had enough sleep since before her own kids were born!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Outside my window... the jug of sun tea is getting darker, and the grape vines are loaded with growing grapes. Homemade jam this fall!

I am thinking... that I had no idea how long it had been since I posted anything other than Word and Question. Oh, and Linus and Ambrose's birth announcement. I am hopeful that this crazy period of life is settling down, and i will start to post again more often.

I am thankful for... a quiet day today. The last load of laundry is in the dryer, the casserole for dinner is prepped and in the fridge, and it's only noon. A long afternoon sitting with my feet up, with books and knitting/crocheting. Yesssss!

From the kitchen... this casserole. With bratwurst left over from the last time we grilled, and extra-sharp cheddar on top. I have made this three times in the past month or so, and it definitely lives up to its name.

I am wearing... tan cotton pants, coral tank top and socks, and a cream-colored short-sleeved crochet-lace sweater. I have had this sweater for a long time, but it's been buried in my drawers because the matching tank is (more than) a tad snug. When some new cheap tanks I got turned out to look more like "husband-beaters" than I had hoped, I started looking for a short, lightweight jacket to make them wearable. Nothing in the stores, but then I remembered this sweater. I LOVE shopping in my own closet!

I am creating... a knit dishcloth, and crocheted afghans for the twins. The dishcloth will be imperfect but useable, since I am trying to re-learn knitting, which I haven't done since Arwen was a baby. I'm aiming to have the afghans done by the time it gets chilly. I am doing them concurrently (they are in coordinating stripes, one more blue, one more green) so that they stand a chance of being finished more or less simultaneously! Twins are a challenge, even for Grandma.

I am going... nowhere today. But tomorrow we have a 50th Anniversary open house to drop in on in the early afternoon, followed by a pig roast and barn dance which is the big blowout in celebration of a wedding that happened in May. I'm still debating on what outfit is appropriate for both. I'm thinking my gauze peasant dress... (I thought of posting a link, but the ones I could find, although similar in style, are on models who aren't shaped the least bit like me.)

I am reading...Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson, and Consider It Done by Julie Subotky. I can justify having two in progress at once if one of them is non-fiction!

I am hoping... that the weather today will remain this pleasant. I can't take off my sweater without showing an unacceptable amount of skin, and I don't want to turn on the AC if I can help it. (My apologies to those of you in places where it's been 100 degrees for weeks, but this is one of the reasons I live in Michigan.)

I am hearing... cars passing by, bird sounds, and the occasional lawn-maintenance noise. Our house has a lot of windows, and they are all open.

Around the house... painting is on the agenda. Our wonderful children painted the outside of the house over Memorial Day weekend, but there are a few things that still need to be done in the accent color. ( Behr "sea fern", if you're interested. The main color is "pale sagebrush", and the trim is "icy tundra." All of the colors look warmer on the house than they do on the website.)

A few plans for the rest of the week: other than the parties tomorrow, and mass on Sunday, none. I am looking forward to a totally "normal" and boring week next week. I hope.

Words I'm pondering : Clarke’s Second Law of Egodynamics --For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert. — Arthur C. Clarke

I cribbed this from my old friend Ernesto at OrthoCuban. He has posted a terrifically funny set of Laws penned by sci-fi writers. Check it out here.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing....I wish this excuse had been available back when I was one of the most sedentary children on the planet.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I look like my mother, I'm startled to say.I'm taller, and different in most every way.But at times when I pass by the mirror I seeHer there for a minute, but really, it's me.

When I was a teen I was frequently toldI resembled my Grandma, except not so old.Great aunts would remark that when wearing "that dress"I was her spitting image. I could be, I guess.....When I look at that snapshot of Grandma and me --The one in the yard, by the juniper tree --I have to admit the resemblance is there,Except for the color and length of our hair.

Last week I was visiting in my home state,Met up with my aunt, and I'm shocked to relateThat she told me I'm like Granny was at this age;My other grandmother! Which just sets the stageFor debating who's right. (Can we really all be???)Am I Granny, or Grandma, or Mom, or just me?

Word: juniperQuestion: Who is the person you're most like who you wish you weren't like?

First of all, I am in shock that even with a trip and the subsequent catching up at home, I managed to write this by the deadline. I think I pulled it off because this is truly autobiographical, right down to the juniper in the yard when I was growing up. (Although I had to make it a tree for the rhyme, when it was definitely a bush!) I'm leaving you readers to figure out the answer to the question, and I hope if you do you'll tell me.

I will try to update this post to add links as the other participants post them in the comments (What a brilliant idea, Enbretheliel!) I'm really looking forward to seeing what some people did with the prompts I sent. ;-D Happy writing!

Updated 4: Dylan's poem is in (with a bonus.) And now Enbrethiliel. Laurie has chimed in! (There's one more to come, and you know who you are.... This will become a link as of August first... ;-D) The link is now live, so go nudge him!!

Thursday, July 07, 2011

As I mentioned in my last post, I am hosting the Word and Question/ Playing Poetry game this month. If you are familiar with the game and want to play, please send me your prompts by Friday the 8th (and OK, I'm late with this, soSaturday the 9th at the latest.) If you aren't aware of how the game works, go visit Shredded Cheddar -- Enbretheliel there is the originator of this game -- and find out about it. And then come back and send me your prompts. It's a lot of fun!

I will parcel out the prompts and email each of you by late Sunday the 10th. God willing, my poem will be up on Wednesday the 13th (although we're driving nearly 600 miles on Monday, so we'll see....) Your poems, and links here so we can read them, are due by Wednesday the 27th. Got it? On your mark........., get set..........., prompts please!

And a special thanks to the timely participant whose prompts arriving in my inbox reminded me that, yes, I AM hosting this month! ;-D